Friday, January 21, 2022

Jan. 21, 2022

 


tonight's sunset


So, 2022 was supposed to be a new start.  A more hopeful year.  A better year.  I last posted on Jan. 12 about the launch of the SOS class, anticipating that I was going to have a great time, interact with students, and things were just going to keep on being 'fabulous'.


If you are wondering about radio silence, it's because Jan. 12 was also the day I was told that my sinus headache wasn't a sinus headache and I didn't have pink eye, I had a *severe* case of shingles that had gone into my left eye.  


The next few days disappeared in a haze of pain and fistfuls of pills and multiple eyedrops.


I did manage to monitor the Q&A for the class, but it wasn't the joy I had been expecting.  


It's a really long story no one needs to hear - except that I have been too sick to even think about weaving.  I have managed to stumble along and yesterday was told that I am healing well, but this will be a long road to full recovery.


Here is a Public Service Announcement:


If you have ever had chicken pox, hie thee hence to a pharmacy and get the two shot shingles vaccine.  I had gotten the one dose, then assumed I was protected from another bout of shingles (I'd had two, years ago) and frankly missed the signs of it happening.  Until it was nearly 'too late'.


If you have never had shingles, please take it from me, you don't want to.  Ever.  Even a mild case, never mind a 'severe' one.


I have been holding off cancelling/postponing some Zoom meetings, but even though my healing is going well according to the doctor, I'm still feeling very ill.  I've cancelled all local appointments, hunkering at home trying to stay out of the cross hairs of covid, a cold, whatever is happening out in the big cold world.  Fortunately everyone has been very understanding and at this point I have two Zooms scheduled, the last Sunday of this month and the first of the next.  I'm going to cancel the one and re-book the other for another date, further down the Recovery Road.   Because it seems to have a lot (and I mean a LOT)  of valleys and mountain peaks.


I am beginning to feel well enough that I can read a bit, and I have some jigsaw puzzles so the next job I plan to tackle is clearing off the dining room table so I have something else to distract me, and a different place in the house to sit, which I'm hoping will help my back.  Even getting to the specialist in Vancouver has had to be postponed because of the shingles, so my back still hurts and I'm not much nearer getting it 'fixed' - if it can be.  But at least I'm on their patient roster and they will contact me in March.  Hopefully to the news that the doctor thinks she can help me.  And then maybe in April be able to travel down for an in person assessment.


But it's been a really rough couple of weeks.  


Currently reading The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny.  It's riveting and asks some pointed questions about societal values.  

6 comments:

Tessa said...

Heeded your advice. Received second shingles shot on Wednesday. I was hesitant since I got so sick with the first one. Your experience prompted my getting it. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience despite your being in such pain and feeling so sick.

Hugs, prayers and much love. Thank you.

Selah said...

You have my full sympathy Laura. I've had shingles. Doctor said "I was unexpectedly young to get it." I got the shots after.

Highly recommend to anyone on the fence. It's a miserable experience to have shingles.

Here's to a complete recovery for you.

Syne said...

Hugs! I hope you're able to get some respite, or at least enough good distraction to get you through.

I've had my two shingles shots, cause I've know other folks who had it and it is no joke.

Lynne Vander Linde said...

Got my second shinrix shot on Wednesday. I had the free shot some years back and later got a single shingle. My husband had not had the free one, because he was on chemotherapy at the time and had been advised against it.

To keep from having back pain I wear a quilters weighted back brace when weaving and sometimes when spinning.

Juli S said...

It sounds like you are taking good care of yourself, which is really important. You are too valuable a resource for the weaving community to lose! I got my 2-dose vaccine finally this past year--I too had bad reactions, but nothing like shingles itself. Hopefully, the bad reaction means my body is primed to fight! Enjoy the puzzles. And I loved the Louise Penney book.

Jane McLellan said...

So sorry to hear that. Best wishes for a speedy as possible recovery.